For The Greener Good

Noticed Anything Different In Cosmetics Stores Lately?

If not, take another look. Natural cosmetics are stamping a huge mark on make-up stands in a bid to pounce on a readily eco-conscious, health-conscious consumer.

As if choosing the perfect foundation wasn’t hard enough, we are now faced with an onslaught of options screaming, ‘natural, organic, pure, green, sustainable,’ some of which entice us with claims to be chemical-free and gentle on the environment. But how do we sort through the marketing-driven claims and the ones that really mean business?

The main problem is that there are no hard and fast rules in New Zealand when it comes to organic certification. This basically means anyone can use the word ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ and not necessarily practice what they preach.

While there may not be any set certification as yet, we are making steps in the right direction with Parliament recently launching the Eco Labels and Sustainability Claims Directory on the MED website*. This was designed to improve the availability of information about ecolabels and other sustainability indicators. This is certainly a start and a fantastic tool if you want to know which ‘green’ labels are the most reputable.

Globally the natural and organic cosmetics industry is booming.

In 2007 global sales were estimated at US$7 billion, according to UK-based business research and consulting company Organic Monitor. They also found that North America and Europe are responsible for the bulk of the growth with a US$1 billion sales increase.

What’s really given this sector a huge lift are long-standing brands we know and love mainstreaming natural and organic cosmetics, and more recently mineral make-up. The likes of Origins, L’Oreal and more recently MAC. And let’s not forget us, the consumer. Our increased desire to treat ourselves and our planet with respect has driven demand for such products - and it seems we don’t mind paying a bit extra for it either.

We’re attracted to natural products for a number of reasons.

There’s been a fair lot of negative publicity received around synthetic ingredients used in some of our favourite make up brands. It’s hardly surprising then that we’ve started to seek out natural alternatives – and lucky for us we have a number of high quality natural brands that are really giving mainstream giants a run for their money; Dr Hauschka and Trilogy are two that spring to mind. And people are willing to spend money on such brands as there is a perceived quality associated with ‘natural’. This is great news for the industry and for us, as smaller beauty brands such as The Herb Farm is introducing competing products, further fueling others to follow suit.

We’ll continue to see companies increasing the amount of natural and organic ingredients to give consumers what they want, while keeping minor chemicals in check to increase shelf life and maintain product effectiveness. Ultimately it’s up to those companies to be open and honest about exactly what is in their products, but until proper certification is in place we’ll have to take their word for it or do more of our own research. More often than not, however the non-natural ingredients found in most respected natural and organic brands on the market today are so miniscule that they oppose no threat what-so-ever to the human body. It’s also reassuring to know that while these brands are clear about what ingredients are used, they are constantly on the hunt for alternatives that are 100 per cent natural and just as effective.

A women’s desire to look beautiful and feel good about her herself isn’t a new concept.

It’s been around for thousands of years, and from the beginning humans have trialed many different ingredients as beauty products. While these old methods of beautification may seem ridiculous to us now, it’s these historic trials that have helped us reach a stage where natural products can make us beautiful, feel beautiful and most of all be safe for use on our skin.

It’s said that the Egyptians were one of the first to discover and develop a wide range of cosmetics; both for the sake of beauty and for the sake of religion – supposedly believing beauty was pleasing to the gods. Their make-up and beauty regimes included many interesting ingredients such ash, burnt matches, plant dyes, blood and clay. A more extreme ingredient was said to include young boy’s urine to fade freckles! Roman’s were also fans of cosmetics with Kohl used for darkening eyelashes and eyelids, and chalk used for whitening the complexion.

While there is an incredibly vast range of products lining beauty shelves there seems to be a trend towards less is more. It’s a common adage but one that makes a lot of sense and fits quite nicely into this discussion. Using less cosmetics (by discovering what you really do and don’t need), and having less in your bathroom cupboard is great for your skin, your wallet and the environment.

At the end of the day we all want to look and feel beautiful, and our growing desire to do so in a more sustainable way is driving growth of green, natural and organic cosmetics.

The definition of beauty has changed considerably over the decades, but what speaks strongly in New Zealand culture (and even on a global scale) is the desire to be beautiful both inside and out. Editor and Author Martin Buxbaum spoke of beauty in a way people all over should embrace; “Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty - they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.”

Now I bet you know someone who fits that bill entirely. And while it may be cosmetics that help us looking beautiful on the outside from day to day, it’s what’s on the inside that counts at the end of it all. So treat yourself, your skin and the planet with respect and we’ll all live to see the benefits of change.

* MED (Ministry of Economic Development) www.med.govt.nz/ecolabels